The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Father, the small tree growing on the bronze mirror seems to have grown significantly after absorbing the offerings.

The tiny flower bud, which was the size of a grain of rice, is now beginning to bear fruit!"

For the past few days, Yun Yan Shui had stayed indoors, rarely leaving the house.

Even when Yun Yan Dong came by to invite him to play, he barely ventured out. Instead, he spent almost all his time in the cellar at home, watching over the bronze mirror and observing the small sapling growing on its surface.

After several days of being nourished by offerings, the sapling had noticeably grown thicker, now about the width of a thumb.

The tiny flower bud on it had started to wither, replaced by a small fruit.

The fruit was a deep purple-red and emitted a strange, alluring fragrance that refreshed anyone who smelled it.

Yun Yun Shan approached the bronze mirror on the altar and saw for himself that the sapling had indeed grown larger and now bore a fruit.

"Father, the fruit seems almost ripe. Should we pick it and give it a try?"

The enticing fragrance of the fruit made Yun Yan Shui almost unable to resist.

"This bronze mirror is a celestial artifact, so the fruit it bears is likely a celestial fruit!"

"The Daoist once told me that mountain cultivators who reach the Qi Refining stage live on the essence of heaven and earth, free from mundane grains.

However, fruits nourished by spiritual energy, like this one, are immensely beneficial to cultivators.

Thus, cultivators in the Qi Refining stage or higher often carry celestial fruits with them to satisfy cravings and strengthen their bodies.

This fruit from the sapling should have a similar nourishing effect on a cultivator's body."

"Then we should give it to my sister," Yun Yan Shui suggested thoughtfully. "She's cultivating under the blind Daoist now, so it will be more useful to her."

Yun Yan Shui's perceptive comment revealed he understood his father's implication.

"Shui'er, I'm sorry," Yun Yun Shan said, patting his son's head with a look of guilt.

"Father, there's no need to apologize. It's a fact that I lack spiritual roots and cannot cultivate.

If this celestial fruit has no effect on me, it would be a complete waste," Yun Yan Shui said with a carefree smile.

He had come to terms with his situation and felt no bitterness. If his sister could become a powerful cultivator, it would only benefit their family.

His aspirations had shifted—he hoped to have many children in the future, confident that at least one of them would possess spiritual roots. Then, they could fulfill the dream of cultivation that he couldn't achieve.

And when that time came, with his sister more advanced in her cultivation, she would surely help guide his descendants.

"You're a good son," Yun Yun Shan said warmly. "Right now, your sister is the only cultivator in our family. If we can nurture her properly, it will greatly benefit our lineage."

"Hehe, I know!" Yun Yan Shui grinned.

"Once your sister returns from her training outside, I'll have her eat this fruit to strengthen her body. Hopefully, it will help her progress more smoothly on the path of cultivation," Yun Yun Shan said.

"Alright!" Yun Yan Shui replied with a smile, watching as his father left the cellar.

After a moment, he sighed and muttered to himself, "Why don't I have spiritual roots?"

Turning to look at the bronze mirror, he stared at the fruit that exuded its unique fragrance and let out another sigh.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Yun Yan Shuang returned home after a day of training with her master. Accompanied by her father, she entered the cellar, where she found her brother, Yun Yan Shui, who had been diligently watching over the bronze mirror.

"Hehe, brother!" she greeted me with a playful smile.

"So, how's it going with that blind Daoist? How does it feel to cultivate?"

Seeing his sister, Yun Yan Shui couldn't hide his joy and smiled warmly.

"It feels great," Yun Yan Shuang replied earnestly.

"These past few days, under Master's guidance, I've started to grasp the technique of sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Now, there's a trace of spiritual energy in my dantian. Master says I've stepped into the first level of the Fetal Breath stage, officially crossing the threshold into cultivation.

From here on, how far I go will depend on my own destiny," she said, her expression serious and without a hint of pretense.

To her, her father and brother were her most trusted and closest family, so she kept nothing from them.

"That's amazing! It looks like my sister's talent really is exceptional. You've been training with that blind Daoist for just a few days, and you've already grasped the technique of channeling spiritual energy into your body and reached the Fetal Breath stage!"

Yun Yan Shui was genuinely thrilled. He hugged his sister in celebration, his face beaming with excitement.

Though he had stayed in the cellar these past days, his father regularly shared knowledge he had learned from the blind Daoist about cultivation.

Yun Yun Shan even had him transcribe and record everything in a notebook. Over time, Yun Yan Shui had absorbed a surprising amount of knowledge about cultivation.

"Shh! Keep your voice down. We don't want anyone noticing any unusual activity here," Yun Yun Shan said, stepping into the cellar. Seeing his children's joy brought a satisfied smile to his face.

To avoid drawing attention, Yun Yun Shan gestured at Yun Yan Shui to keep quiet, his expression serious.

Seeing this, Yun Yan Shui immediately stifled his excitement and fell silent.

"Alright, tell me more. What interesting things have happened outside these days?"

"There's a lot!" Yun Yan Shuang replied eagerly. "Every day, people from the village come to my master, asking him to test their children for spiritual roots and hoping he'll take them as disciples to teach them immortal arts.

But spiritual roots are extremely rare.

Today, First Uncle brought Ling'er from the town to be tested, but neither of them had spiritual roots.

Third Uncle also brought Yan Song and Yan Bai to be tested, but neither of them had spiritual roots either.

Second Uncle, however, returned to the village with Yan Tian-ge, and my master discovered that Yan Tian-ge has spiritual roots. He'll be cultivating alongside me now!"

"First Uncle and Second Uncle have both returned?" Yun Yan Shui asked, surprised but delighted.

"Yes! I heard they've sold their properties in town and plan to move back to the Yun Family Village. Father already knows about it too."

"Haha! Things are going to get lively in the village now. Especially for Third Uncle—he's always sneaking around and stealing chickens. With First Uncle back, his days are going to be much harder!"

Yun Yan Shui couldn't help but laugh, tears forming in his eyes from amusement.

"Isn't that the truth?" Yun Yan Shuang chuckled in agreement.

"You said Yan Tian-ge has spiritual roots?"

"Yes!"

"That's amazing!" Yun Yan Shui exclaimed, his tone full of admiration. Deep in his eyes, there was a faint glimmer of envy.

"Shuang'er, come here," Yun Yun Shan called out.

The siblings' lively conversation came to a halt as Yun Yan Shuang straightened up and obediently approached her father.

"Kneel," Yun Yun Shan instructed gently.

Without hesitation, Yun Yan Shuang knelt respectfully on a worn prayer mat in front of the altar. Her large, curious eyes studied the ancient bronze mirror enshrined there, noticing the small tree growing on its surface and the peculiar purple-red fruit it bore, exuding an enchanting fragrance.

"Bow three times to the celestial presence first, then pluck the fruit from the mirror and eat it.

Your brother and I have deduced that this is likely a spiritual fruit that can benefit a cultivator's body. Once you consume it, it may greatly aid you on your path of cultivation," Yun Yun Shan explained earnestly.

Without a shred of doubt, Yun Yan Shuang kowtowed deeply three times toward the bronze mirror.

"Disciple Yun Yan Shuang humbly venerates the Celestial Presence. With my spirit as my oath, I pledge eternal loyalty and devotion, never to falter or stray.

I earnestly request the Celestial Presence to bestow this sacred fruit upon me to pave my way on the great Dao."

As her words fell, the purple-red fruit on the small tree suddenly detached and landed on the altar with a soft plop.

Delighted, Yun Yan Shuang bowed three more times to express her gratitude before rising to her feet and consuming the tiny fruit.

As soon as the fruit entered her mouth, it melted into a pure, potent energy that surged through her body, washing over her meridians and bones.

The energy cleansed her eight extraordinary meridians, strengthening her senses—her sight, hearing, and other faculties became noticeably sharper.

Seeing his sister blessed with the celestial fruit, Yun Yan Shui clapped his hands enthusiastically, genuinely happy for her.

However, as she consumed the fruit, Yun Yan Shui suddenly felt something strange within himself.

Deep in his abdomen, a warm current began to flow, spreading comfort throughout his body.

At the same time, a complete cultivation method—the "Three Purities Heart Sutra"—appeared in his mind, as though it had been etched into his soul with a chisel.

No matter how he tried, he couldn't forget the intricate details of the sutra.

Beyond that, a soul imprint materialized in his mind—specifically, it was his sister Yun Yan Shuang's soul imprint.

Somehow, he sensed an inexplicable connection to it, a chilling realization that he could control her imprint at will.

The eerie thought crossed his mind: with a single intent, he could end a life.